Team Bradley: Pacquiao is One-Dimensional, Can't Adjust

By Chris Robinson

It was at the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez III post-fight press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last November that I first spoke with trainer Joel Diaz. Having led undefeated junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley to a successful victory over faded former champ Joel Casamayor on the undercard, Diaz was a bit of an unknown commodity to the general boxing public at the time but it was easy to spot just how much knowledge and pedigree he possessed.

Fast forward nearly seven months later and things have changed for Diaz, as he is now days away from his biggest assignment as a trainer as he will be leading Bradley into battle against Pacquiao this Saturday night in an HBO pay-per-view attraction. I have kept tabs on Diaz since our first conversation, including a two-day swing through Bradley’s camp in Indio, California in late April, and I have taken great pleasure in hearing all of his pre-fight thoughts, including his undying loyalty towards his fighter and his strategy for beating Pacquiao in three days’ time.

Following Bradley’s grand arrival to the MGM Grand yesterday, Diaz and I had what will likely be our last in-depth conversation before his charge heads into the biggest fight of his career. And just as has been the case for the past few months, Diaz spoke with a special kind of intellect and showed off an unwavering bravado when discussing the Pacquiao-Bradley match.

Continue reading below for Diaz’s thoughts on why the Pacquiao challenge reminds him a bit of Bradley’s May 2008 upset over then-champion Junior Witter, his appreciation for his time featured on HBO’s 24/7 series, what it was like for his monitoring Bradley’s progress in camp, and why he feels victory is within their reach.

This is what Diaz had to share.

Feeling confident…“Well, I feel very confident. He’s very confident. There’s no negative thoughts in our mind that we’re going to lose this fight. We’re going to go in there and do our thing. He’s in great shape. He’s ready to give it all and win this fight June 9th.”

Appearing on HBO’s 24/7 series the last few weeks…“It’s a great opportunity. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, just letting people know what we do, what are the things in life we’ve gone through in order to make it here. Because this is not an easy job, this is very, very tough job. We go through a lot of adversities through this sport of boxing and thank God we’re here. And we’ve got an opportunity of a lifetime. And we’re going to take advantage of it because we might not have another opportunity. We’re going to work extremely hard to win this fight and get rewarded for everything that we’ve went through and we’ve been going through in our career.”

Not paying attention to the hype…“No, you know what. Because, up to this moment, nothing has bothered me. Because I program myself to not listen to anything. I really don’t read on the internet, read comments, read people’s opinions. Because, at the end of the day, that’s the way it is. We all have freedom of opinion and if you’re going to pay the pay-per-view, you’re going to pay to watch the fight, ok then you have a right to have an opinion. I don’t want anything to bother me right now. I know we’re living in the moment but at the same time I’m very focused. I don’t care what Freddie Roach says. I don’t’ care what they’re going through in their camp, whether it’s good or if it’s bad. That’s their problem. Right now my main focus is Tim Bradley. Because June 9th is a fight I’m going to be fighting the fight with him mentally.”

Bringing back flashbacks…“Tim’s always been the underdog. Right now, I’ve seen a couple of people with Manny Pacquiao signs out there, yelling ‘Manny Pacquiao is going to knock you out’ and it brings back flashbacks from the Junior Witter fight. You know what we do? We smile at it. At the end of the day these people are here to support their fighter and you’ve got to respect that. Every fan, every supporter, has a right to do whatever. As long as they don’t harm my fighter, it’s fine. We just got our minds just focused and programmed for June 9th. There’s nothing that can distract us now.”

Whether it was hard making sure Bradley didn’t burn himself out in camp…“Yeah, definitely. Because I know him and I know when he’s working too hard. Day after day I see him coming in the gym and as soon as he comes in the gym, I already see his energy level. Sometimes when I see the week before that we did a little bit too much work, I cut down a little bit in certain areas. But I try to maintain him so he won’t be over trained or overworked. Right now he’s perfect. Last week he finished really, really strong. All we’re doing is coming in here and shaking out. All he has to do is shake out, do a little bit of jump rope, and we’ll be ready for Saturday.”

How people created a monster in Manny Pacquiao…“I’m putting in his mind, you cannot respect this guy. All these guys, they created a monster in Manny Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao has fought so many fighters at the end of their careers. They had been knocked out in previous fights. They don’t have that self-confidence anymore. He knocked out a Ricky Hatton. A Ricky Hatton that was dehydrated. Come on. The only way you can get knocked out like Ricky Hatton did is when you’re dehydrated. When you’re hydrated and you’re strong, you will not get knocked out like that. I don’t care. People have created a monster in Manny Pacquiao but we’re going to see what he can do against a Tim Bradley.”

Bradley’s real skills on display…“That’s one of the things that Timothy Bradley has. Timothy can adjust. Manny Pacquiao is one-dimensional. You’re going to see that. You’re going to see a great Timothy Bradley. You’re going to see his skills, his real skills. Because when Tim feels the confidence, when he feels that he’s in control, he goes on his own. Sometimes, he does things on his own. But, for this one, Saturday, when we closed camp, that was part of my training; you’ve got to follow my orders to the last point. If you follow my orders, believe me, everything is going to be well. Just listen to me, because I’ll be fighting the fight with you.”

[QUOTE=SpeedKillz;12215984]I dont think bradley is gonna do what marquez did, I agree with that, but the bold part is simply not true. pac is not a counterpuncher nor is he a defensive fighter. he is a 'come foward f*ck you…

[QUOTE=jai mari078;12215961]People on here trying to say Bradley is gonna do to Pacquiao what Marquez did or trying to use that fight and make a comparison are way off base!!!!
[B]
The problem with that is Bradley is nowhere near…

People on here trying to say Bradley is gonna do to Pacquiao what Marquez did or trying to use that fight and make a comparison are way off base!!!!
The problem with that is Bradley is nowhere near the efensive…

[QUOTE=jsfd26;12212307]These guys are talking too much. I know confidence is good but what about TOO MUCH confidence and EXCESSIVE TALKING, can that hurt you and backfire come fight night? I doubt any of this is affecting Pacquiao TBH...[/QUOTE]
I agree…

Now, this is really starting to remind me of the Hatton fight...
one dimension...right hook, roll under...same move everytime
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmh90dsvOU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmh90dsvOU[/URL]
Mike Tyson: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”